making news this morning, pursuing diplomacy, a new strategy hopes to put an end to the crisis between ukraine and russia. high-level talks between the two countries with the united states right in the middle. massive explosion. a neighborhood rocked and leveled. debris in the trees and nearby windows blown out. new details on what caused the deadly blast. swallowed by the sea. tossed like a toy in an ocean, rescue unlike any other. >> it started to go down pretty quick. she went straight into the water. >> the terrifying moment there and dramatic rescue all caught on camera. epic reactions this morning after putting a rotary phone in

the hands of youngsters. >> not like this. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. we begin with high-level talks aimed at putting an end to the tense situation between ukraine and russia. >> secretary of state john kerry meeting with russia's foreign minister in paris this morning. kerry is also speaking with ukraine's foreign minister who hitched a ride to france on secretary of state's plane. abc's tahman bradley is following it from washington. >> reporter: the u.s. and other nations are still trying to defuse the volatile standoff in ukraine. in crimea, tensions remain high. with russian and ukrainian troops staring each other down walking the streets of kiev yesterday kerry saw the shrines where ukrainians died in last month's protests. the secretary blasted vladimir

putin's invasion of crimea. >> it is not appropriate to invade a country and at the end of a barrel of a gun dictate what you are trying to achieve. >> reporter: putin says he ordered troops in to protect ethnic russians. president obama warned russia is violating international law. >> president putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations but i don't think that's fooling anybody. >> reporter: the russian leader may be trying to turn the temperature down sending representatives to brussels today to meet with nato officials about the crisis but he called the new government there illegitimate and reserving the right to use force ignoring the u.s.' warning. >> over the course of obama's six years in office, though, i think vladimir putin has come to see barack obama as very weak. >> reporter: amid all this tension, russia made another bold statement. going ahead with the planned

test launch of an int intercontinental ballistic missile like this one. president obama said there's room for ukraine to be friends with both russia and the west but he says putin's invasion of ukraine could just drive cup as way from russia. marci and john. >> tahman bradley live in washington. thank you. all right. now to south africa where day three of testimony in the murder trial of oscar pistorius is under way. already this morning, pistorius' defense attorney has challenged testimony of a husband and wife who say they heard screams then gunshots from pistorius' house on the morning reeva steenkamp was killed. yesterday the wife cried on the stand during testimony at one point pistorius covered his ears as if to stop hearing what was being said. emergency crews remain on the scene of a deadly explosion in new jersey. a gas leak led to the blast which killed one woman and hurt several others. dozens were so damaged that families were not allowed to

return. neighbors describe the terrifying moments of the explosion. >> the loudest sound i ever heard. >> we saw flames and smoke and chaos. >> all of a sudden all our windows just blew out. >> like a sonic boom and everything shook, the foundation, everything. >> seven utility workers were hurt but are expected to be okay. they were digging when they hit a gas line triggering the blast. a surprise revelation from former penn state assistant football coach mike mcqueary, he was a key witness in the case that put jerry sandusky bind hars. espn is reporting that mcqueary himself once told penn state players he could relate to sandusky's vics because he was abused as a child, as well. he didn't say who had abused him or when. >> to politics where george p. bush has taken a step towards continuing the dynasty. he won the nomination for the post of texas land commissioner.

he is the son of former florida governor jeb bush. in the high-profile texas governor's race wendy davis will face texas attorney general greg abbott. davis gained national attention for her hours long speech on the floor of the texas legislature last summer there vying to replace rick perry not seeking re-election after 14 years in office. president obama travels to connecticut today to push for an increase in the minimum wage. that's after the president sent congress a $3.9 trillion budget that includes new spending for pre-k program, job training and about $300 billion to repair the nation's aging infrastructure. republicans say there is no chance it will pass. abc news poll out this morning shows record support for gay marriage. the shift in opinion is speeding up with 59% of americans now supporting same-sex marriage. just 34% opposed. 81% say businesses should not be allowed to refuse service to gaiss and lesbians based on

religious belief as recently vetoed by that arizona governor in that proposed bill. sad as it is to say another mardi gras has wrapped up in new orleans. >> thousands of people lined parade routes and packed into the french quarter to celebrate. but it ended at the stroke of midnight when the season of lent got under way and if you missed the celebration well, there's always next year. another annual tradition will happen soon. the cherry blossoms will bloom in washington, d.c. national park service officials say the city's 3,000 cherry trees will be in full bloom between april 8th and 12th barring a major ice storm. spring now just 15 days away. counting down. >> dream of blooms. >> time now for the weather from across the nation. a rainy day across much of the south as another storm moves across the southern plains and east texas. light snow across the lower great lakes and parts of new england. a new and powerful storm blows

into the pacific northwest. >> chilly in the northeast and mid-atlantic states this morning but temperatures look to be bottoming out. cold along the northern border. warmer in the southwest with 81 in phoenix. all right, well facebook going to the clouds. why is the social media giant getting into the drone business. a teenager takes her parents to court for cash, college costs and a whole lot more. well, this morning, the harsh words the judge had for her. a dramatic rescue. a van filled with kids crashed into the ocean. a lifeguard's heroic action caught on camera.

welcome back. investors seem to have shaken off their fears about ukraine, at least for now. the dow opening this morning after a 227-point surge, the largest one-day gain since december 18th. all three u.s. markets scored their best day of the year, but analysts warn big swings are still likely. radio shack may close up to 1100 stores after posting its eighth straight quarterly loss much the texas-based company is struggling to compete with online vendor and electronics discounters. 20% of its stores may close as it updates inventory and image. united airlines is getting tough when it comes to passengers trying to stuff huge suitcases in the overhead compartments much the airline is positioning contract workers at security lines to look for people who might be carrying too much. united says it is not a new policy, just an enforcement of the rules and that it's aimed at loading and unloading planes more quickly. well a first ever tv ad for medical marijuana has hit the

air. >> yo, you want sushi. i got sushi. i got the best sushi. >> the ad goes on to ask you wouldn't buy your sushi from this guy so why would you buy your marijuana from him. it connects patients with doctors who prescribe legal medical marijuana airing late monday night in new jersey. facebook following amazon and google into the world of robots. it is buying titan aerospace which makes drones. >> it's part of their effort to provide internet access throughout the developing world. and if you've ever really needed to find a toilet, well, there's an app for that now. >> who hasn't had that once in a while called the airpnp that allows you to find private toilets nearby or add your bathroom to those on the list so those in need can use your bathroom when they need one. i'm not putting my bathroom on that list. >> yeah. all right. when we come back, lucky dog.

a pet being saved after being stuck there on a frozen lake. wait until you hear how long he was there and what the coast guard used to assist in the rescue. and fierce fight. a pair of bald eagles locked in battle attracting a whole lot of attention. [ male announcer ] never before. in the history of mankind. has one march. meant. so. much. your quicken loans college basketball bracket picks could change your life...forever. ♪ the quicken loans billion dollar bracket challenge with yahoo sports. pick a perfect bracket. win a billion dollars. enter today at quickenloansbracket.com.

win a billion dollars. i've been claritin clear for 6 amazdays. at the first sign of my allergies, my doctor recommended taking one claritin every day of my allergy season for continuous relief. 21 days of relief from itchy, watery eyes. 28 days of continuous relief from sneezing and runny nose, since i've been taking claritin every day of my allergy season. get the #1 doctor recommended non-drowsy allergy brand. live claritin clear. every day. stock up with claritin bonus packs for spring! available at walmart for a low price, every day. lactaid® is 100% real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, no discomfort, because it's milk without the lactose.

and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? hello. [ female announcer ] lactaid. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for a 100% real dairy snack you'll 100% enjoy try lactaid® cottage cheese. this fiery accident in southern california is responsible for destroying more than 120,000 letters and other pieces of mail. a u.s. postal service mail truck collided with another big rig and burst into flames yesterday. the mail from orange county was on its way to the airport. the post office says there is no way to track whose mail burned. let's take a look at the morning road conditions. extra caution needed in the south and in new england, watch out for snow and ice in the lower great lakes states and along the canadian border. ist-5 in the pacific northwest could also be slick. if you're flying, airport

delays are possible in chicago because of snow. well, a judge ruled against a new jersey honor student who sued her parents for child support. >> 18-year-old rachel canning will not get the $650 weekly allowance she requested nor the money to cover the rest of her private high school education. canning says her parents kicked her out. but they say she left because she didn't want to live under their rules. >> have you ever in your experience seen a young adult, child, whatever you want to call rachel show such gross disrespect for a parent? >> now, the judge will decide next month whether to make the parents pay for her impending college costs. canning has been living with a friend in a lavish house. her parents want her to come back. they're looking for their missing daughter. mckel la wells was seen sunday night while taking out the trash and left her heavy winter coat and her cell phone in the house.

police in bellevue say they don't believe that the 16-year-old was taken against her will or that foul play was involved. and now to a story from my hometown a terrifying drama which unfolded on daytona beach. watch as this minivan filled with children rolls right into the ocean. beachgoers began reaching inside the van to get the kids. >> the lifeguards sprang into action. one was trapped inside the vehicle. the tourists described that what happened. >> lifeguard went in the car to rescue like the little girl and then he was stuck himself in the car so the other lifeguard took him back of the car. >> they say the mother was incoherent when they reached her behind the wheel taken to the hospital and the children were turned over to family services. frightening moments at a 7-eleven. fresno, california, a car plowing flew the front windows. no one hurt, the 17-year-old plowing flew the front windows. no one hurt, the 17-year-old said he accidentally hit the

oh, larry. she thinks i'm crazy. mm-hmm. but would a crazy person save 15% on car insurance in just 15 minutes? [ chuckles ] [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote is crazy. with esurance, 7½ minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. ♪ ♪ baby you're a firework all right, time to check "the pulse" starting with katy perry going from pop star to tv weather personality. >> check it out. she made an appearance today on australian morning show there and decided to give the forecast. >> partly cloudy for alice spring,